A while back James and I went to the book launch of Intelligent Naivety – Commercial Opportunities for Museums and Culture Institutions, which was held at BMAG.

The book is the brainchild of CultureLabel whose Executive Chair David Gilbert – former MD of both Currys and Waterstones – introduced the notion of encouraging cultural institutions to think more entrepreneurially. (Bluntly put, so they don’t have to be so reliant on public funding as a means of survival.)

The book’s introduction asks, “How can over-stretched museums and cultural institutions recognise consumer needs, exceed consumer desires, and leverage a sustainable source of income without wrecking the very special relationship they’ve created with their audiences?”

We were lucky enough to nab a copy of the uber-fluorescent paper version (ahhh, the smell of fresh print!) but a much more screen-friendly pastel-coloured pdf of the book is also available to download for free from the Intelligent Naivety website.

Let us know what you think …